UK Government advisors say that new homes should be banned from connecting to the grid within six years to help tackle climate change. Instead, houses in the country-side should be warmed using heat pumps and gas hobs should be replaced with induction hobs. In more urban areas, they recommend that homes should be heated though hot water networks or maybe thought industrial waste heat.
The Independent Committee on Climate Change (ICCC) recommends in a report that these changes are made to new homes initially as this is a much more economical system. According to the ICCC, it would cost around £4,800 to install low-carbon heating in a new home. This increases to £26,300 in an existing homes as these systems will only work if homes are insulated to the highest standards.
This comes after much dismay from the ICCC in response to increasing emissions from housing last year, when emissions should be falling. Housing emissions mainly come from heating boilers however, according to the committee, all homes in the future will virtually need to eliminate emissions if we are to meet the climate targets.
Around 14% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK comes from homes yet little is being done about it and tackling the existing housing stock is difficult and expensive in the short term. The committee would like to see the government treating the UK’s housing stock as a national infrastructure priority not unlike widening roads. More worryingly, the report recommends the need for shading and ventilation in new homes to combat the extreme heatwaves expected in the future.
Source: BBC